Aleksandar Ćetković

Parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) of Northeastern Iran: Aphidiine-Aphid-Plant Associations, Key and Description of a New Species

Abstract Aphid parasitoids of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of northeastern Iran were studied in this paper. A total of 29 species are keyed and illustrated with line drawings. The aphidiines presented in this work have been reared from 42 aphid host taxa occurring on 49 plant taxa from a total of 33 sampling sites. Sixty-six aphidiine-aphid-plant associations are presented. Trioxys metacarpalis sp. nov. from Chaitaphis tenuicaudata Nevsky (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Kochia scoparia, is described. The species diversity based on the comparative faunistic analysis is discussed.

Regional tritrophic relationship patterns of five aphid parasitoid species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) in agroecosystem-dominated landscapes of southeastern Europe.

ABSTRACT A regional survey of the complex tritrophic associations (parasitoid-aphid-plant) of aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) was carried out to determine and explore the patterns of those associations in various types of environments. Here, we present trophic relationship patterns of the five aphid parasitoid species in crop and noncrop habitats in southeastern Europe, and we contrast them in a regional (Mediterranean [MED] versus continental [CNT]) context. In total, 79 aphid host taxa were identified in this survey. Forty-two of these were recorded from noncrop plants only, 21 from crop plants only, and 18 were present on both types of plants. This means that ≈74% of all the parasitoid-aphid trophic interactions that support the persistence of the five selected parasitoids are entirely (54%) or partially (20%) associated with noncrop plants. The correspondence of parasitoid-aphid combinations among habitat/region combinations is very high and specific. Our results suggest that Mediterranean and continental regions are clearly distinguished by a contrasting pattern of trophic interactions in crop habitats, whereas the noncrop habitats contribute in lesser degree to these differences. For the crop/noncrop breakdown, the number of nonspecific interactions was larger than expected in crop habitats, whereas in noncrop habitats the abundance of partially specific and specific interactions was larger. The analysis of variance for the regional and habitat distribution of mean aphid host number per parasitoid was highly significant. When both regions were analyzed separately, the parasitoid/crop design showed significant parasitoid effects as well as interactions, whereas the habitat effect was not significant for the Mediterranean region and highly so for the continental region. This highly complex pattern suggests that the mean number of parasitized aphid species is not distributed among parasitoids, regions, and habitats in a similar manner. Even with these complexities taken into account, the overall trend is that noncrop habitats support more parasitoid-aphid combinations and more so in the continental than in Mediterranean regions, although not always statistically significant. As mentioned, large number of noncrop aphid hosts, especially for Lysiphlebus fabarum (Marshall), Praon volucre (Haliday) and Aphidius colemani Viereck, can significantly enhance the population buildup for these important parasitoids around agroecosystems. These facts can be important in biological aphid pest control in the region. Although not easily quantified, the overall positive effects of larger parasitoid diversity in noncrop habitats are undoubtedly related to the distribution and structure of noncrop habitat patches in agroecosystems at a landscape scale.

Aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) in wetland habitats in western Palaearctic: key and associated aphid parasitoid guilds

Abstract This paper presents over 66 tritrophic parasitoid-aphid-plant associations from wetland habitats in western Palaearctic, comprising 24 parasitoid species, 24 aphid hosts and over 30 plant species, based on records from 25 countries. Seven new associations are documented. About half of the established tritrophic associations (34) were recorded rarely, while 6 associations have been documented more than 100 times each, based on 4 common and widespread Aphidiinae species. The majority of recorded parasitoid species (16) are involved in only 1–2 tritrophic associations, 7 species were recorded in 3–5 associations, and one species (Praon necans) is a member of even 16 different associations based on wetland habitats. Generally, the most frequently recorded associations are based on some very common and widespread parasitoids not specific for this class of habitats. On the basis of distribution, host range and habitat specialization we have divided aphid parasitoid associations in wetland habitats into three ecological categories. The most specialized group, containing rarely recorded parasitoid species whose distribution and aphid hosts are strictly associated with wetland habitats, is potentially highly vulnerable to extinction. The role of aphids associated with wetland habitats as reservoirs for economically important parasitoid species is discussed and a key for the identification of aphid parasitoids in wetland habitats is provided.

A new species of Aphidius Nees, 1818 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) attacking Uroleucon aphids (Homoptera, Aphididae) from Iran and Iraq.

A new endemic aphid parasitoid species, Aphidius persicus sp. n., parasitic on Uroleucon chondrillae (Nevsky) in Iran and Iraq, is described. The identities of the new species and other co‐existing species of Aphidius are discussed. In the parasitoid association with Uroleucon aphids, A. persicus sp. n. probably replaces Aphidius funebris Mackauer in the studied area. The latter species is a common member of the parasitoid guild on Uroleucon species in the Western Palaearctic and Western Mediterranean.

Further evidence of the Asian mud-daubing wasps in Europe (Hymenoptera : Sphecidae)

We report the further south‐eastward range extension of the invasive Asian mud‐daubing wasp, Sceliphron curvatum (Smith), initially introduced into Austria in the late 1970s. We document its presence in the central Balkan Peninsula from 1997 onwards, and we discuss the circumstances and course of its recent expansion in the area. We also report the first finding of another Asian species, Sceliphron deforme (Smith), in Europe, and we consider various aspects of this case, given the possibility that the record from southern Montenegro represents a successful introduction.

Bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) pollinators in Pannonian habitats of Serbia, with a description of a new Eumerus Meigen species (Syrphidae)

The diversity of bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) pollinators from ten localities in Vojvodina, Serbia was surveyed. Among different types of Pannonian habitat (grasslands, heathland and scrub, woodland and forest habitats) all localities were categorised as forest and steppe. They were in protected areas, mostly undisturbed by human activity. Censuses of pollinators took place from 30 March to 10 October, 2014. We recorded 218 pollinator species; 135 bee species (42 Halictidae; 32 Apidae; 29 Andrenidae; 24 Megachilidae; 7 Colletidae; 1 Melittidae) and 83 species of hoverflies. We describe a new species of hoverfly, Eumerus pannonicus sp. nov., and compare it to other similar species. Based on our study, the Special Nature Reserve of Pašnjaci Velike Droplje is critical for the conservation of this new Eumerus-being only found at this locality-and other species such as Chrysotoxum lineare (Zetterstedt), which is rare in Europe and protected under Serbian legislation. The highest numbers of bee species were recorded in the Deliblato and Subotica sand areas (40 and 32, respectively), while Fruška Gora Mountain and the Vršac Mountains harboured the highest number of hoverfly species.

Review of the Gasteruptiidae (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea) from the territory of the former Yugoslavia, with three newly reported species.

The results of more than 120 years of investigation of the fauna of Gasteruptiidae for the territory of former Yugoslavia (including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) are summarized. Results from recently collected material and from unidentified specimens in collections are combined with those of published records. The total number of valid species of the genus Gasteruption Latreille for the area of former Yugoslavia is 22, which is more than in any country represented in Fauna Europaea database. One species is firstly recorded for the mainland Europe (G. syriacum Szépligeti), two more species are newly recorded for the investigated area and there are 23 first country-records for the involved countries (based on 17 species).